Prophylactic administration of prothrombin complex concentrates for congenital prothrombin deficiency with a novel frameshift mutation, prothrombin saitama.

Prothrombin (Factor II, FII) deficiency is an extremely rare autosomal recessive condition with an estimated incidence of 1:2 million. As severe and life-threatening bleeding is rare in FII deficiency, on demand therapy with administration of prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) or fresh frozen plasma is generally performed, and prophylactic therapy for FII deficiency has been reported in only three cases. Thus, its optimal dosage and schedule has remained uncertain. Here we report a case of severe prothrombin deficiency with a novel frameshift mutation of the F2 gene, who was started on prophylactic administration.

Resuscitation of preterm infants with reduced oxygen results in less oxidative stress than resuscitation with 100% oxygen.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the level of inhaled oxygen during resuscitation on the levels of free radicals and anti-oxidative capacity in the heparinized venous blood of preterm infants. Forty four preterm infants <35 weeks of gestation with mild to moderate neonatal asphyxia were randomized into two groups. The first group of infants were resuscitated with 100% oxygen (100% O(2) group), while in the other group (reduced O(2) group), the oxygen concentration was titrated according to pulse oximeter readings. We measured total hydroperoxide (TH) and redox potential (RP) in the plasma within 60 min of birth. The integrated excessive oxygen ( summation operator(FiO(2)-0.21) x Time(min)) was higher in the 100% O(2) group than in the reduced O(2) group (p<0.0001). TH was higher in the 100% O(2) group than in the reduced O(2) group (p<0.0001). RP was not different between the 100% O(2) and reduced O(2) groups (p = 0.399). RP/TH ratio was lower in the 100% O(2) group than in the reduced O(2) group (p<0.01). We conclude that in the resuscitation of preterm infants with mild to moderate asphyxia, oxidative stress can be reduced by lowering the inspired oxygen concentration using a pulse oximeter.

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome complicated by central sinovenous thrombosis.

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (IHES) is a rare disorder affecting cardiac, pulmonary and nervous systems with peripheral neuropathy, encephalopathy and cerebral thromboembolism. We report a 7-year-old boy with IHES who developed central sinovenous thrombosis and cerebral hemorrhage. Although he had hypereosinophilia for more than 6 months, he was asymptomatic until the sudden onset of vomiting and headache due to superior sagittal sinus thrombosis. Molecular analysis in peripheral blood did not reveal any mutation in the Fip1-like-platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha chain (FIP1L1-PDGFRA) gene which was recently reported to be mutated in IHES. Since there must be symptoms or signs of organ involvement to fulfill the IHES criteria, we could not make a diagnosis of IHES until the onset of central nervous system involvement. We suggest that anti-coagulant therapy should be considered for asymptomatic patients with hypereosinophilia because hypereosinophilia may induce thrombosis in various organs.

An adolescent with pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome after cytomegalovirus infection.

A 15-year-old Japanese girl developed bulbar palsy and upper limb-dominant muscle weakness 2 weeks after the onset of an upper respiratory tract infection due to cytomegalovirus (CMV). Her symptoms resembled that seen in the pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant (PCB) of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Although bulbar palsy usually continues for several months in PCB, her bulbar palsy was very mild and improved rapidly before intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was instituted. Serum anti-GT1a IgG antibody titer was elevated at the acute phase of the disease and gradually decreased. The bulbar palsy-dominant GBS is thought to relate to anti-GT1a antibody and Campylobacter jejuni infection in adult patients. Our Case report suggests that CMV can also induce the production of anti-GT1a antibody, thereby resulting in PCB. When one sees acute onset bulbar palsy and limb muscle weakness, the possibility of PCB, even in children, should be considered, thus compelling the need for serum anti-ganglioside antibody measurement.

[Clinicopathologic features of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma in Japan: review of the special reference to the Asian variant].

The Asian variant of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVL) is characterized by hemophagocytic syndrome, i.e. the clinical features include pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, and rarely mass formation. It usually lacks any neurological abnormality or skin lesions, which are typical features of classical IVL. Sixty-seven cases of IVL reported in Japan since 1990 were classified into two groups, and their clinicopathologic features were compared. Forty-five cases of IVL that met the clinical and laboratory criteria for the Asian variant were classified into Group A (average: 66 yr; male: 62%), and 22 cases that did not meet the criteria were classified into Group C (average: 65 yr; male: 73%). Hemophagocytosis was described only in Group A. The positivity rates for bone marrow invasion, fever, hyperbilirubinemia and elevated levels of LDH and CRP were significantly (p = 0.0037, p < 0.0001, p = 0.0428, p = 0.0108 and p = 0.0008, respectively) higher in Group A than in Group C. On the other hand, the positivity rates for neurological abnormality and skin lesions were significantly (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0011, respectively) higher in Group C than in Group A. Our reassessment of the reported cases of IVL in Japan identified two major categories of IVL: the classical form and the Asian variant.